Former captain Nat Medhurst accuses West Coast Fever of lying in wake of her sacking

Shock dump from West Coast Fever

Former West Coast Fever captain Nat Medhurst hasn’t held back over her “pretty brutal” axing last year, accusing her former club of lying.

The 35-year-old was expecting to see out the final year of her contract with Fever this season, but will instead don the black and white of Super Netball rivals Collingwood after she was blindsided.

Medhurst slammed the club over its poor handling of the situation, claiming it fabricated information after Fever fans vented publicly in the wake of her shock exit.

“There was a big backlash against the club over the next few days, so at the start of the following week I guess they decided to go into a bit of damage control,” Medhurst wrote in a PlayersVoice column.

“They claimed that I had other offers on the table, to imply that I was already speaking to clubs, which was not at all the case.

“They said that the timing of the announcement was all on our end — mine and my manager’s. Also not true.

“There was a lot that Fever tried to twist and, I think, fabricate. It was just disappointing that they felt the need to say things that were 100 per cent lies.”

Medhurst admitted she came very close to retiring after being “hung out to dry” by the club she represented for five seasons, even after a meeting with the Magpies.

But the former Australian Diamonds star eventually opted to sign a two-year deal at Collingwood and extend her decorated career.

“It was pretty brutal, the way they did it. I had no inkling it was coming,” Medhurst said. “I thought I would finish my career with the West Coast Fever. I had a three-year contract that included this season — with an opt-out clause for both parties.

“Last August, one day before my contract ended, Fever opted out. The club was supposed to give me a month’s notice, not a day, so that’s another really disappointing thing.

“I had absolutely no idea of their intentions. Just never saw it coming. I guess they hung me out to dry, to be honest.”

Medhurst insists there is no bad blood between her and Fever coach Stacey Marinkovich, with the pair catching up before Christmas to clear the air.

“Having moved a few times previously, I’ve always wanted to try and leave on good terms with a club,” she said. “So I was glad that, when the time was right, Stacey and I were able to talk.

“We’re on friendly terms.”

Medhurst’s return to Perth in Magpies colours has been set for round 12 — a Saturday night clash at RAC Arena on August 10.

She will also go head-to-head with her former teammates in Bendigo in round five.